Trailing the S 500 and Nasdaq Composite's 14% and 31% respective gains this year with an anemic 3% gain, American Express (NYSE: AXP) stock's underperformance is a buying opportunity for investors. This holds particularly true in light of the integrated-payment specialist's continued strong fundamentals during this period and management's expectations for more robust growth for the foreseeable future. The pot is further sweetened by the stock's cheap and attractive valuation.

While it's tempting to let fears about a potential recession keep you away from financial companies' shares these days, these same fears are making some stocks in the sector -- even high-quality ones like American Express -- trade at prices that give investors good entry points.

Leading up to the company's third-quarter earnings report later this month, analysts have expressed some concerns about the company's revenue coming in below the consensus forecast as consumer spending has been pressured by tightening measures from the Federal Reserve. Even some bullish analysts on the stock seem skittish about the company's near-term performance. 

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Source Fool.com